Human Trafficking Review

Human trafficking is an activity in Kentucky which authorities admit is another under-reported crime. The issue was recently discussed before a corrections panel in Frankfort. Aundria Burkhart is a detective with the Lexington police department. She says there was a case out of Memphis which had a tie to the central Kentucky area.

“They rescued a 14 year old girl who had brought from Mexico, been brought to the United States when she was 12. The first place that they believe that she was a victim of human trafficking was actually in Lexington,” said Burkhart.

Kentucky lawmakers approved legislation in 2007 making human trafficking a crime. Burkhart says more and more police agencies are being trained on ways to investigate human trafficking today.

“It’s such a new law and officers are still trying to sink it in and understand it and identify what is human trafficking. And it’s a complicated issue a complicated case, because there can be so many different. …human trafficking can take on so many different forms,” added Burkhart.

The most common form of human trafficking is tied to the commercial sex industry. But, Burkhart says it’s not uncommon for human trafficking to be carried out for drug or labor issues